Joint research by the Consumer Council for Water (CCW) and Ofwat, has been published, exploring the themes of consumer engagement with water companies and accountability.
Blue Marble was commissioned to look at how customers would expect water companies to engage with them and the ways in which people want to be able to hold them to account.
The research found that increased company communications (to participants and the wider consumer base), would help consumers feel that their views have been acted on.
Consumers particularly want to see this when research leads to consensus between consumers about what needs to change, or when things go wrong (like incidents and underperformance).
Consumers said that water industry research and engagement should be honest and transparent. Consumers also want the evidence of the outcomes of accountability disseminated directly to all consumers.
Desired outcomes include; transparency from companies about their performance, including financial matters, acknowledgement that the public see current performance as not good enough, evidence any group is being listened to, progress updates (verified by trusted third parties), and punitive measures to encourage companies to act. Non-households want a higher profile for the retail market and compensation for lost business during incidents.
The full findings of the research can be found on the CCW website here.
